Santiago has visited Machu Picchu many times and knows the best time to arrive. This is before the first train of the day arrives from Ollantaytambo. We boarded our bus and headed up the mountain! As we climbed and climbed, it was easy to imagine how the Spanish failed to discover Machu Picchu during their travels up and down along the Urubamba River far below. The site sits over 7,000 feet high on a mountain top and plants hide it from view.
In the early 1900s, the site was not as much rediscovered as it was made famous by Hiram Bingham, an explorer who was looking for the hidden city of the Incas. In fact, local farmers were using part of Machu Picchu to grow food at the time. No one knows for sure what Machu Picchu was used for or when and why the site was abandoned(遗弃). These questions will likely never be answered. However, what is known for sure is that it was an amazing creation!
As we entered Machu Picchu, we had an opportunity to take the famous “postcard picture” thanks to Santiago. There wasn’t one question that he did not have an answer for. He seemed very conscious(有意识的)of our limited time and wanted to make sure we got the most out of our visit. We had a chance to visit an ancient drawbridge(开合桥). This tested my fear of heights as the drop-off at some points was close to 2,000 feet straight down. In fact, the trail became too dangerous to go any further so we made our way back to the main site and had plenty of time to take great photos there.
After Santiago was satisfied we had seen much as we could, we took the bus back to Aguas Calientes.
【小题1】Why did the author mention the Spanish in paragraph 1?| A．To show that Machu Picchu was difficult to find. |
| B．To describe how Machu Picchu was damaged. |
| C．To discuss how valuable Machu Picchu is. |
| D．To explain why Machu Picchu is attractive. |
| A．It was well protected by local people. |
| B．It was not as good as she expected. |
| C．It was hidden by the Incas. |
| D．It was a great human creation. |
| A．tired | B．fearful | C．excited | D．surprised |
| A．He lives in Machu Picchu. | B．He knows Machu Picchu well. |
| C．He comes from Spain. | D．He is a local farmer. |
